White House responds to Mass. Gov. Healey's increased criticism, actions against ICE

The White House is responding to increased criticism and legislative action taken by elected Democrats against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including an executive order and legislation filed by Gov. Maura Healey restricting the agency’s abilities and operations in Massachusetts.

“ICE officers are facing a 1300% increase in assaults because of dangerous, untrue smears by elected Democrats. Just the other day, an officer had his finger bitten off by a radical left-wing rioter,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told the Herald in a statement reacting to Healey’s Thursday press conference.

“ICE officers act heroically to enforce the law and protect American communities — local officials should work with them, not against them. Anyone pointing the finger at law enforcement officers instead of the criminals is simply doing the bidding of criminal illegal aliens,” she said.

The criticism from Washington comes after Healey announced Thursday that she has signed an executive order prohibiting the state from entering into any new 287(g) agreements – which effectively deputizes local law enforcement to assist ICE in detaining illegal immigrants, among other things – “unless there is a public safety need.” The executive order also bans federal agents from making civil arrests in non-public parts of state buildings.

“For Governor Healey, this is about protecting the people of Massachusetts and supporting public safety. It’s why she called on President Trump to immediately get ICE out of our communities and let state and local law enforcement do their jobs. The reckless and unconstitutional tactics of these federal agents are making everyone less safe. They’ve shot and killed U.S. citizens, detained children, and are intimidating people exercising their First Amendment rights,” Healey spokesperson Karissa Hand told the Herald in a statement.

“Rather than spending federal taxpayer dollars to inflate ICE’s budget — paying for their new SUVs and travel to the Olympics — the federal administration should be funding local and state law enforcement, victims services and FEMA,” she said.

Healey also filed legislation that would ban ICE agents from Massachusetts courthouses, schools, hospitals and other state owned property; and would make it unlawful for another state to deploy its National Guard in Massachusetts without the governor’s permission; and would allow parents to pre-arrange guardianship for their children in case they are detained or deported.

“Let’s be clear about what’s happening. Over the past year, President Trump has sent federal agents into communities, cities, and states around the country. And what we have seen week after week, month after month, are federal agents instigating, antagonizing, and yes, causing violence in communities,” Healey said to reporters at a press conference announcing her new actions. “All of these actions, by ICE, stand in stark contrast to our own outstanding state and police, state and local police. And I want to be clear about that.”

The Thursday press conference came just one day after Healey went on a lengthy rant against the Trump Administration and even individual ICE officers after the Herald asked if Massachusetts should be considered a sanctuary state.

“Massachusetts is not a sanctuary state. I’ve said this time and time again. People can buy in and continue with the absolute bull**** rhetoric out of the Trump administration on this. You know they have no respect for cities and states. They don’t respect law enforcement because they’ve got this group of rogue individuals who I guess take in the bounty of $50K,” Healey said Wednesday.

The Herald asked Healey how she could possibly not call Massachusetts a sanctuary state with the legislation she just signed and filed. The governor engaged in a back-and-forth over the question, reiterating that Massachusetts “is not a sanctuary state,” and her new policies do not make it one.

Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons had also responded to Healey’s recent actions and words against his agency, telling the Herald that the governor is simply “grandstanding.”

“The governor’s attacks on ICE are reckless, inflammatory and completely divorced from reality. Instead of engaging directly with the agency on its mission, training and legal authorities, she’s opted for political theater — repeating false claims that mislead the public and deliberately undermine federal law enforcement,” Lyons said.

“The real beneficiaries of ICE’s work are the people of Massachusetts, who are safer when ICE arrests and detains murderers, child sex abusers and other violent criminals who would otherwise be walking the streets. The governor would better serve her constituents by focusing less on grandstanding and more on public safety,” he said.

The agency itself is also responding to criticism from Healey and other Bay State Democrats, implying that Massachusetts is in fact a “sanctuary state,” despite Healey’s claims that it is not.

“Sanctuary politicians in Massachusetts have made it abundantly clear that they would rather stand with criminal illegal aliens than protect law-abiding American citizens. It comes as no surprise that they would want to hamstring their law enforcement from helping federal officers arrest rapists, murderers, pedophiles, gang members, and terrorists,” an ICE spokesperson told the Herald.

Healey was unclear Thursday about how such a potential confrontation between local or state police and federal law enforcement would play out or how it would be handled.

“We’ll do everything we can to make sure that it’s (Healey’s executive order)] upheld and that people are protected. I say ‘don’t bring the fight.’ Don’t bring the fight, okay?” Healey said. “I really hope that with today’s announcement that the White House hears me and that those in charge hear me, and that we are going to take this very seriously.”

Trump said Saturday that he has instructed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem not to intervene in protests occurring in cities led by Democrats unless local authorities ask for federal help amid mounting criticism of his administration’s immigration crackdown.

On his social media site, Trump posted that “under no circumstances are we going to participate in various poorly run Democrat Cities with regard to their Protests and/or Riots unless, and until, they ask us for help.”

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